Monday, May 09, 2011

FSBPT Survey to Inform Content in National Licensure Examinations

Last month, the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) mailed surveys to a random sample of about 18,000 physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) asking them to describe specific knowledge and skills necessary for competent and safe practice. The surveys were sent to PTs and PTAs working in various clinical settings and with various years of practice.

This survey is part of FSBPT's project to update the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) for PTs and PTAs. This project, called a practice analysis, occurs about every 5 years. Its goal is to update the content outline for the PT and PTA examinations so that they continue to test knowledge currently required for safe and effective patient care by entry-level practitioners.

These survey results are the building blocks for developing new content outlines for the NPTE, so every response is valuable. APTA encourages those PTs and PTAs who received the practice analysis survey, especially if they were licensed in the last 3 years, to fill it out and return it to FSBPT.

More information on the previous practice analysis is available on FSBPT's Web site.